S. Florida import pilot for perishables gets underway

A six-month pilot program to allow cold-treated blueberries and grapes from Peru and Uruguay to be directly imported to South Florida began Oct. 1 and area ports and businesses say if it proves successful it could be expanded to cover other fruits from more countries leading to the creation of more jobs in the region.
Until now, certain fruits from South America were required to be delivered to northern ports such as Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey and Wilmington, Del., because of concerns that fruit flies that escaped proper cold-treatment could flourish in a climate without cold winters. Direct importation will save shippers the expense of having to truck the agricultural products back down the East Coast to Florida for distribution to stores, reduce transit time, which will provide consumers fresher fruit, and cut diesel emissions, program advocates say.
Learn about the new stringent protocols to protect against pests and how industry worked with regulators to try and change a long-standing import prohibition read the American Shipper article "Fruit Fight," (September issue, p. 57).